Fuse#8 asks:
What are the "classic" titles you've never much taken to? I was an adult before "Where the Wild Things Are" elicited any kind of a loving response. Were there books you knew of as a kid that just didn't do anything for you, in spite of your fellow preschool brethern's adoration?
Of course, me being me, I immediately answered the first question without reading the following one. And, heck. I can't think of any books that I DIDN'T really like as a kid -- if it had pages and pictures, I was pretty much there.
But as an adult... Hmmm. Children's classics that I DON'T LIKE:
The Little Prince. Granted, my very, very, very strong dislike has very little to do with the book itself and much more to do with the drunken college freshmen who slobbered all over each other in the Chapter Book Room while using the book in an attempt to show off their extremely impaired (and probably limited) intellect before going home and having grody Harvard monkey sex in front of their long-suffering roommates. I'd squish him, just for that. And I know that I've probably ranted about that before, but be forewarned -- I'm bound to do it again.
Love You Forever. Ewww and ewww again. Freaks me out every time. Another one the drunk kids went for.
The Giving Tree. Um, yeah. Or, no. They loved this one, too. I'm sensing a pattern here.
Berenstain Bears. Never did it for me, even as a kid -- have you ever noticed how damn long they are? And preachy? Yeech. Except for The Spooky Old Tree. I liked that one.
Oh, The Places You'll Go. Piece of advice: If you're planning on giving this book to someone for ANY sort of graduation, DON'T. I promise you, they will receive at least four other copies of it from other people. And if you must, don't inscribe it. That way, when they get the OTHER three inscribed copies, they won't be stuck with yet another.
Well. Sorry, Fuse. That kind of went in a different direction.
Random-person-dropping-in-to-make-a-comment-out-of-nowhere warning . . .
I'm completely with you on 'The Little Prince', but does this mean that I'm the only person who thought 'Little Women' was a preachy, sentimental heap of drivel? It took me three tries to get past Chapter Six. I had the same problems with 'Heidi', but it was mercifully short by comparison.
Posted by: Aljay | 07 November 2006 at 08:39 AM
WOW. I don't have strong feelings about either, but you reminded me of another one: The Little Princess, for pretty much the same reasons.
Posted by: Leila | 07 November 2006 at 09:24 AM
I'm with you on most of those, but I did like the sappy, selfless Giving Tree (ooh, no pun intended).
As for graduation gifts, I give every high school graduate the Worst Case Scenario College Survival Guide and I put money in the pages. Any page on eating with no money, dating with no money, doing laundry, etc. I stick a $5 or $10 in for the graduate to find.
Posted by: jmfausti | 07 November 2006 at 12:41 PM
Rainbow Fish - lame customers loving it always ruined things for me. Also, just plain boring.
The Dark is Rising - I really wanted to like it, just didn't get it. Still sort of feel bad.
The Lord of the Rings - Couldn't get past chapter 1 of book one.
Love You Forever - obviously.
Pat the Bunny - what's the big deal?!
Posted by: Lauren | 07 November 2006 at 01:54 PM
Totally with you on THe Giving Tree. Back in the day our camp director used to find occasion to read it to us at least twice a summer. Ew.
Posted by: hyperfine | 07 November 2006 at 02:39 PM
I agree on 1 and 4. Also, I never really adored Judy Blume books as a kid. I read a couple of them, and liked them well enough, but wasn't nearly as caught up as all my friends were.
Posted by: nrkii | 07 November 2006 at 03:25 PM
What's wrong with me that I "get" Love You Forever?
The Wind in the Willows. Adults love it, kids are bored by it. I discovered it when I was old enough appreciate it, but couldn't understand why my kids didn't go for it until I found that the generation gap over this book is universal.
Posted by: Megs | 07 November 2006 at 04:24 PM
The Cat in the Hat and pretty much all Dr. Seuss except for the Grinch. Hated the rhymes. Didn't like movies where anyone burst into song, either.
Posted by: Susan | 07 November 2006 at 08:25 PM
Posted this at Fuse also:
Where the Wild Things Are
The Cat in the Hat
Love You Forever
Harold and the Purple Crayon has always bugged me because his crayon is red violet, not purple.
http://crayola.com/colorcensus/history/history.cfm?id=red%20violet&rank=0
Posted by: Little Willow | 07 November 2006 at 09:57 PM
I'm with you on Wind in the Willows, Megs. I completely didn't get that even though I wanted to!
And The Spooky Old Tree! I loved that book as a child. I didn't realise it was a Berenstain Bears book - I think they're far more common in the US than Australia.
Posted by: Emma | 08 November 2006 at 06:48 AM
Fausti, you win -- I think that's the best graduation gift I've heard about.
Lo, my problem with Pat the Bunny is that it's all pastels and it gets SO GROSS, SO FAST. Yucko. Also The Rainbow Fish pretends to be about sharing, but I think it's secretly about punishing those who are different and shiny.
nrkii, I always loved the funny Judy Blume books and liked the serious ones well enough, but I didn't fully appreciate the 'serious' ones -- like the utter brilliance of Blubber -- until I got older. But I know that some people really, really hate it, too.
Megs, I think you're in the majority about Love You Forever. I've still never -- big kiddie lit confession coming -- read The Wind in the Willows.
Posted by: Leila | 08 November 2006 at 07:05 AM
I think "Pat" and all the sequels are the smooth jazz of even board books. There's no substance, they're bland, and they aren't even cute. And those f'ing paper cut out ones with the telephones... RRRGGH!!
Posted by: Lauren | 08 November 2006 at 02:37 PM
Never read a word of Seuss.
If anyone else is in the same boat, don't ever tell anyone. Ever. I mentioned this to some co-workers and they looked at me as though I said I had a pyramid of human skulls in my laundry room. I told some friends this last year and they gave me The Cat in the Hat as a gag X-Mas gift. I came this close [hold thumb and index finger really close together] to swearing aloud and beating them with it.
If Seuss comes up, just nod and smile.
Posted by: Nick | 09 November 2006 at 09:47 PM